I am quite in a serious mood today. Feeling very angry about how a son is treating his mother.
I am a volunteer at The Home for The Aged since 8 years.
There are about 130 men and women all above 65 years.
As I know most of the old people on first name basis and I go at least 3 times a week they are quite comfortable talking about their lives to me.
The person I am going to write about is a lady 0f 80+ years who was literally thrown out of her home because her husband has made a mistake of transferring the house to the son's name.
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| A picture taken by Magali at the Home for The Aged at their recent hat parade event. |
The old couple were happily living with the son and his family and the old lady took care of the grand children when the son & daughter in law were working. The grand children grew up and by then the daughter in law was getting restless that the "old people were not dying" and that they would never get the house to themselves.
To the good luck of the children the old couple happened to have a daughter who was living in Canada and had decided to take the parents for a holiday. Before they left the son conveniently told the Father that since he would not be around for 6 months at least it would be nice if the Father transferred the house to the son's name, for official reasons.
The Father trusted the son transferred ownership before they left for Canada.
Six months later they came back to India to a place that they knew as home which was no longer theirs.
The son, daughter in law and grandchildren found that the old couple were unwanted at home and tried everything they could do by verbally and physically abusing the old couple. When the old couple could take it no more they informed their daughter who promptly came to India and took the old couple to Mangalore where they were put in the Home for the Aged after paying more than 12,000/- Rupees ($250 which is quite a lot here) a month not including all other expenses. The old man fell sick there and passed away. Now the old lady was all alone and feeling lonely and to her good luck there was place for her at The Home for the Aged in Mumbai and the daughter came to India and brought her to Mumbai. It is now nearly 6 years that she is here in Mumbai and the son has hardly come to meet her. He calls once in a while to find out if the Mother is fine but the call is just to show the Religious Sisters that he calls and that he cares about the Mother.
The daughter visits the Mother every year from Canada and would have liked to take the Mother to live with her but the harsh winters of Canada do not agree with the Mother.Though the Home is a free Institution she contributes a good amount as Donation. I really admire her as she calls regularly and is really concerned about the Mother though she has no financial gain in the situation.
The Mother is bitter about the whole situation and blames her husband for the situation that she is in today.
She sits and talks to me almost every time I go to the Home. I love talking to her and she says that she enjoys talking to me too. Sometimes I take some home cooked food that she likes and her eyes shine when she tells me that she has enjoyed her meal.
I have seen many cases like these. In all the cases the parents have given away all the assets to the children who do not care about the parents after they have the money, gold and diamond ornaments and apartments in their names.
It is a lesson to parents that you should only give away all that you have in a will that is opened after you are dead. Be there for your children when they need you but do not be a fool and then repent later.
This is a reminder also to my husband and me that we should make a will when he is home this time so that the assets will all be given to our daughter when we are no more.
Take care everyone.
Lots of love,
Sheila
